Get Ready for Summer with these Party Prep Tips

With summer right around the corner, now is the time to start getting your home and yard ready for backyard cookouts and gatherings. If you’re already sending out invitations to your friends and family, then make sure that you don’t overlook any of these five party prep tips to get your home ready for guests.

1. Give Your Front Porch a Makeover

As your first guests arrive, greet them with a clean front porch straight out of Better Homes and Gardens. Give your walkway a quick power wash and give the front porch a deep cleaning to knock out those cobwebs and dust bunnies that have accumulated the past few months. Wash your windows inside and out while you’re at it. For a few bucks more, you can spring for a quart of paint and make your front door look like a million bucks with a fresh coat.

2. Tidy Up the Flower Garden

Springtime is typically a boon to your flower gardens, lawns, and shrubs all around your home. But those flowers aren’t the only things that benefitted from the warmer air, mild showers, and sunshine. Weeds also tend to thrive in the spring. While you’re pulling weeds, you may also notice trees and shrubs that need to be pruned. You can also plant some new flowers to fill in the gaps and add a new burst of color. Complimentary colors really add some life to your flower garden — purple and green, blue and yellow, and red and orange are great combinations!

3. Fix Window and Door Air Leaks

It’s also important that you make sure your home is properly sealed to keep the cool air in and the hot summer air out. The secret to keeping your home nice and cool in the summer isn’t just to crank the AC – you should improve your home’s efficiency by sealing the windows and doors. Additionally, consulting a plumber to inspect and maintain your home’s plumbing system can ensure there are no hidden leaks contributing to heat gain.

Take a close look at your sliding window panels and around the edge of your door or door frame. If the weatherstripping is old, cracked, and worn out, then cold air is escaping from your home. Peel the old stuff off and replace it with some new weatherstripping from the local hardware store. It’ll only cost you a few bucks, but it can go a long way to keep your home cooler all summer long.

4. Get Your AC Checked Out

At some point, every air conditioning unit runs into problems. If you want to make sure that it doesn’t happen while your backyard gathering is in full swing, then you might want to get it checked in advance to make sure everything is operating properly and that all the filters are in good shape. Changing out the AC filters regularly is one way to keep it functioning optimally.

5. Clean the Grill

Last on this list of party prep tips is the centerpiece of your entire event–the grill. Fire it up for a few minutes with the cover closed to heat things up and loosen the grease. Then, disconnect your gas and let it cool down a bit before hitting it with warm soapy water, inside and out.

Check the burners to make sure there are no clogged holes. Check the grate for rust and replace if necessary. Check the gas hoses for leaks and replace them if needed, too. If you haven’t used it for awhile, then give it a test run by grilling up some burgers or dogs before the party to make sure all is well.

Along with this, you can also check your fire pits like these California Backyard fire pits and see if they’re working well so everyone can sit by the fire at nights safely.

Getting ready for your next backyard gathering can be a big job, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. The key is to start well in advance and be thorough so that you don’t have any last minute problems that will throw you into a panic. Follow these five party prep tips to make sure that your event goes off without a hitch.